Ryobi makes tons of excellent tools for inside and outside the home, for outdoor activities, and more. And if you’re sick of yard work tools loud enough to double as a soundtrack, Ryobi has plenty of solutions. Surely you’ve wandered Home Depot aisles looking at mowers, blowers, or trimmers and seen the “Whisper Series,” but is it any good?
Ryobi claims its Whisper Series of outdoor power tools are quieter than ever and will help silence all the chaos of weekend chores. Each product has decibel ratings on the box, leaf blowers have airflow CFM ratings combined with loudness stats, but buzzwords are nothing new in the world of tools. So, here’s what to know.
Quiet or marketing? Turns out, it’s a little bit of both
What’s all the noise about the Whisper Series
So, are Ryobi’s Whisper Series tools actually quiet, or is it just marketing? Well, it’s a little bit of both, and it depends on the comparison or which tool you’re reaching for.
If you search for “whisper” on the Ryobi website, you’ll get nearly 70 results featuring powerful yard care tools, fans, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and so much more. A common question online asks if they’re actually quiet, and the answer is a bit nuanced. In general, though, yes, Ryobi Whisper tools deliver a substantially quieter experience than the competition or similar models.
When you see one of these in the store with bold letters on the front that claim “82% quieter than gas,” you’ll instantly notice it. And that’s the key thing to keep in mind when shopping for Ryobi outdoor tools.
In general, yes, Ryobi’s Whisper Series tools are genuinely much quieter than traditional gas-powered equipment. But then again, that’s to be expected, as there’s no loud gas-powered motor running. With that in mind, it can be a bit misleading and considered a smart marketing move, but that’s not the only thing going on here.
See, traditional gas-powered outdoor lawn equipment can roar at nearly 100 dB, and that’s pretty loud. There’s a reason many in the lawn care industry wear ear protection. On the flip side, most of the products in Ryobi’s Whisper series are between 50–60 dB, which is quieter than the competition’s 60 dB and 70 dB ratings.
Additionally, if you look up something like a Ryobi 40V leaf blower and find two with similar specifications and airflow, but one is a Whisper series, it’ll certainly be quieter (and more expensive) than the regular model. For example, many of Ryobi’s basic 18V leaf blowers top out at around 100 MPH or less, at a few hundred CFM, and produce a decent amount of noise, not to mention a high-pitched whine. They’re also fairly affordable.
Then, check out the Ryobi 18V ONE+ Whisper Series 130 MPH (510 CFM) leaf blower for $149. That’s a solid machine that’s more powerful than most gas equivalents, extremely capable, all while being quieter than a lower-powered model.
What’s the secret to the Whisper series
Brushless motors and smart designs
There are two ways that Ryobi backs up its claim that these are amazingly quiet tools that you’d love to buy. One is the design, and the other is what the company is comparing it to.
Each Ryobi Whisper Series model is designed completely different than a regular mower, fan, or leaf blower. For example, whisper leaf blowers are engineered with a larger frame that seats the fan deeper in the body, dampening noise and making it travel farther before it exits the tool and reaches your ears. Then, along with sound-dampening foam inside, there are several other internal acoustic engineering aspects the company doesn’t disclose. They also all employ newer brushless motors, too.
As you can see in the image above, the extended black housing is where all the damping takes place, and where the neon green meets the black is where the fan is located, rather than at the very back of the device.
That’s how many of Ryobi’s models come in with a lower noise rating than that of the competition. Even if it’s only 10 dB or so, that’s a big deal, and it’s why Ryobi leads the pack.
And secondly, the Whisper designation is reserved for some of Ryobi’s strongest brushless motors, meaning you get gas-like or superior power without the hassle and maintenance. This is where marketing comes in. Many of the Whisper series models are Ryobi’s most powerful 40V blowers, mowers, and edgers, and they still earn the name because their performance matches (or often exceeds) that of similar gasoline-powered tools, all while being quieter.
That doesn’t mean your Ryobi 40V leaf blower will be quieter than one from Milwaukee or EGO Power, but it’ll certainly be quieter than a gas-powered model with similar airflow and specifications.
Tools you can appreciate
At the end of the day, yes, these tools are pretty quiet. Then again, it’s still a leaf blower, and it’ll be louder than two people having a conversation, which might wake up the neighbors at 7 am. That said, they’re significantly quieter than cheap 18V models with brushed motors, quieter than a gas-powered outdoor power tool, all while operating with the 18V or 40V battery you already own.
I own two Ryobi Whisper series products, and they’re both excellent. Find one on sale and give it a try. You’ll be glad you did.
